Your horse does not have to approach something they are scared of. In the wild a horse would never approach something it found troubling. They would view it from different angles at a distance they felt safe. They would smell the air for danger. They would listen for sounds that signaled a problem. They would watch to see what changed. Based on all the information they gathered, they would choose to flee or approach. The amount of time this decision takes would vary. It coul

Don’t pre-spook. Often I see riders worrying about how their horse is going to respond to a new stimulus. It could be a banner, a new piece of equipment, a new trailer, an obstacle, you name it. I can tell how the horse is going to react by watching the human. The minute the human shows hesitation in their body language, it is telegraphed to their horse.

This year has been HARD. There are days I am exhausted to my bones and don’t feel like working horses. I suppress feelings all day and wake up in the middle of the night crying hysterically. Thankfully, it’s not happening multiple times a week anymore. I don’t say any of that for sympathy. It’s just facts and I understand people who are struggling. I had an episode Friday night. I have been exhausted since. I haven’t felt like working horses this week, but I did it anyway. I

Never miss a good opportunity to work outside the box. We are digging trenches to bury electric for the barn, arena and Tackroom. The trenches are deep so we have to keep the animals from falling in them. We have some HEAVY duty pallets that we threw over the trench in the arena. They have plastic coverings on them. The mounded dirt around them is super deep and soft. It’s a bit of an intimidating situation for the horses. The dirt gives under their weight and the pallets m

Horses can only respond to the information they are receiving. When we give good information, have good timing, and are smooth with our aids, we generally get good responses from our horses. When we give poor information, time the information incorrectly and are fumbling or unaware of our aids, we get poor responses from our horses. They learn to brace for what’s coming. They learn to ignore the chaos or become overwhelmed by it.

Tuesday I had a lot going on. Kyna had a vet recheck. I had some lessons. I needed to pack and get ready to leave Wednesday. There were bills to pay, training horse to ride, chores to do. I was dealing with some chronic pain from one of my 10,000 injuries. My brain was trying to convince me I didn’t really need to work my horses. No one would know the difference (except me). They were already going to get 5 days off while I was out of town. Did one extra day make that much di

One of the most effective tools in your tool box but people are hesitant to use it.

I often tell people if I have swung a leg over one of my horses, you can no longer afford to buy them. I’m only 1/2 joking. Earlier this week I said that Jo and I had put the first rides on Grace. In those 1st four rides she has trotted straight lines, gone over cavaletties, done haunch turns, side passed, backed, worked the flag, weaved poles, etc. I said she’s had 29 months of training in preparation to make all of that possible. If you had to pay for 29 months of training

Jo and I started Grace under saddle this week. Jo is a very accomplished rider for being only 14. She has a young horse at home that will need to be started soon, so I figured we would teach her about the first rides.

Putting the first ride on a young horse should not be scary for the horse or the rider. If the proper preparation has been done with good in hand work, the first ride is simple. Keep your expectations low. Don’t stay on the saddle for a long time. Walk. Do a turn each direction. Get off.

Connection is not something the rider creates. Connection is something the horse must seek and find. The rider creates the environment for connection to be successful. The horse must be confident enough to look for it.

If your body has a joint, it needs to be moving when you ride. If your joints are locked your horse must work around that brace. They will be bracing as well.

Young horses are not for everyone. They take commitment. There are a lot of bumps on the path to seasoning a young horse g horse and making them dependable. I choose to do it because my job requires me to clean up messes other people have made with horses. I would rather bring up a young one. I want to educate and season it for me. I have the skill amd education to do it. If you don’t, you absolutely must be prepared to pay for help if you are going to tackle a young horses p

If you want to be babied through tough times with your horse, I’m not your educator. I don’t deal well with human meltdowns and tears. It’s ok to be frustrated. It’s ok to get angry. It’s ok to cry. But I’m going to tell you to get your poop in a group and pyll

That’s Not an Accident

I can’t sell my horses that I’ve started unless I absolutely trust the people I’m selling them to. I start my horses for me. That means from the first right we work on lightness, straightness, balance, softness, and doing the least amount possible for a desired result. This makes my horses sensitive and they listen to every breath, every small movement of my body both on the ground and in the saddle. They are a fine tuned instrument. Most humans are busy and loud. Some horses

We are in my least favorite time of year, Hell’s front porch. I mean August in Texas.

When I was at the doctor’s office last week, they measure grip strength and overall muscle in my body. I have 68lbs of muscle which is way above average for my age. That was surprising to me. I don’t understand why average is so low. my grip strength in my right hand was 88lbs and in my left hand (missing finger) it was 66lbs. Again, way above average and I feel my grip strength is weaker now than it’s ever been.

Recipe for training a horse:

Practice Pause